Digital Mech Warriors: The Mercenary Chronicles
by ProjectVORTEX
Summary: The story of an elite mercenary unit in the Inner Sphere. Seemingly ordinary, are the Dark Rangers really what they seem to be? This is a part of Darklight02's Digital Mech Warrior story arc, meant to be read with his work.
1. Introduction

As with other stories in my repertoire, this one is undergoing a facelift. I've been doing research, playing the games, and getting my act together to make this a proper and true MechWarrior story instead of a half-assed attempt at a MechWarrior story.

With that in mind, allow me to preface this properly. This is a part of Darklight02's "Digital Mechwarriors", but set from a different angle. Consider it a parallel of sorts. What involvement that this story may have with his is something that I won't reveal yet. You get to make that decision.

As it stands, this story could be considered an independent MechWarrior/BattleMech story, though after Chapter 4 it might prove a bit more difficult. I suggest you read both stories to keep tabs on what's going on – should he ever update again.

As always, I welcome questions and comments. Most of all, I welcome reviews, since without them I have a harder time making this story better. I should be able to update this as fast as or faster than DarkLight, which isn't hard given that he updates his story once a millennium.

Dramatis Personae:

Col. Michael "Vortex" Davids, Co-Commander  
Col. Matthew "Clonemaster" Lysen, Co-Commander (Off-planet)

_Remainder of the Command Lance_

Capt. Julie "Harbinger" Athros, XO, Lance Commander (First Lance)  
Capt. Ri'vel "Hunter" Kent, Lance Commander (Silent Lance)  
Capt. Shelby "Blackeye" Keith, Lance Commander (Second Lance)

_Other Officers_

Cmdr. Jessica "Angel" Young, XO (Second Lance)  
_More names will be added as the story progresses._

No good story is published without praise and thanks. Thanks go out to Darklight02, first and foremost. His help and ideas gave me enough interest and desire to write this offshoot of his interesting storyline. I also want to thank the rest of the gang from the Academy, with whom I had many hours of fun and enjoyment destroying random mechs in the games. Also, the writers of the BattleTech/MechWarrior books deserve a great deal of credit, since their writings gave me plenty of good ideas.

Finally, we must cover the important legal section. This story is © 2003 – 2005 by ProjectVORTEX. All rights are reserved. MechWarrior, Battletech, and all source material related to them is © Whiz Kids and all rights are reserved. The MechWarrior computer games are © Microsoft Corporation and Whiz Kids, and again all rights are reserved. Anyone wishing to post this story elsewhere may do so as long as the following conditions are met: Permission must be sought from me first and I must be credited for it. If you plagiarize this story, then I sincerely hope you're prepared for the sight of a 75-ton Mad Cat Mk. II standing outside your door sometime in the foreseeable future. If that doesn't scare you, then I'm sure the Clans are looking for good bondsmen. ;)


	2. Chapter 1: Of War and Peace

Colonel Michael "Vortex" Davids, co-commander of the Dark Ranger Mercenary Company, surveyed the interior of his mech base. Sprawling across the open bountiful plains of Blue Diamond, on the outskirts of Lyran space, the mech base looked something akin to an old Earth airstrip. Positioned along an actual airstrip were almost a dozen large hangars, their high ceilings holding a cargo more valuable than the land itself. Within these facilities were over two dozen mechs, ready to go if so ordered by either Davids or his command staff. From outside, personnel moved through the hangars, conducting readiness checks on the equipment and servicing the mechs. Davids watched the hustle and bustle amidst a wave of nostalgia. It had been almost fifteen years ago since he'd formed this company from scratch. Though it was small compared to some of the more notorious names in the mercenary business, the Dark Rangers were some of the best recruited. Even now, plans were in motion to double or even triple the size of the group within the next few years. The construction equipment, working on the skeleton of a hangar, was evidence of this.

The base had not existed when Davids first landed on this planet fourteen years ago, following the completion of the Clan Wars with the Treaty of Tukkayd. Mercenaries had been in high demand following the war, a result of high attrition among the Inner Sphere houses and the necessity to have good garrisons on all the bordering worlds. Though Davion by birth, Davids, a career mercenary, had found Blue Diamond to be a quiet spot close to the warzone where he could assemble his force and prepare for what would happen following the collapse of the treaty. The fourteen years since had proven to be very lucrative for him and his group. In that time they had undertaken over thirty assignments and close to 150 missions from those assignments. What had started out as a single lance of mechs was now six lances, complete with air support, armor, and infantry. How the years had passed.

Although the base itself was as vulnerable as any ground installation to an attacking force, Davids knew that there were other cards in his deck. Parked on the close end of the field were two Broadsword-class dropships – "donated" by Clan Wolf during one of their assignments. These dropships were always on standby and ready to go in under an hour. Moreover the base was never truly empty. During assignments, the Dark Rangers would loan their base to the Blue Diamond Militia – thus providing the citizen-soldiers on the planet with a way to train and a barracks to stay in. Finally there was the natural deterrent of the Lyran Guards 110th Division, whose base was located only a handful of miles away. This heavy division of mechs and men was a permanent fixture on the planet. Both he and Davids were good friends with a long and powerful history behind them.

Michael walked through one of the hangars and looked up at the mechs as they stood. They reminded him of old statues he'd seen on Terra – silent guardians protecting valuable goods. Each of these guardians was powered by a fusion power plant and most had weapons systems that could turn an entire city to slag if necessary. Some mechs were designated names such as _Atlas_ or _Thor_, reminders of the power that they wielded. Michael's mech, located at the far end of the bay, was a towering _Mad Cat Mk. II_, the bigger brother to the infamous _Mad Cat_. Weighing in at 90 tons, the _Mad Cat Mk. II_ (he tended to refer to it as the _Mk. II)_, could carry a nearly endless combination of weapons and equipment. Following the ages-old tradition, Michaels had named his mech _Collateral Damage_, a joke on the kind of havoc he could wreak if given a chance. He'd had this mech almost as long as the company – but thanks to top-notch mechanics and his careful piloting the mech remained in pristine condition.

He crossed the bay and passed through a steel door that led to a flight of stairs leading down. Following the stairs, he descended into a well-lit and air-conditioned corridor that crossed the complex from the mech bays to the C&C (Command and Control) center of the base. Exiting through another door after taking the steps up, Michaels followed a complex route through the structure until he came to another door. Removing a key from his pocket, he unlocked the door and entered into his administrative office. Unlike some commanders, Davids liked to manage most of the Dark Star affairs himself. It was a running joke in his command circle that he lacked the funds to afford a secretary – the truth was that the work was so computerized that he would have been overpaying for a secretary.

One of the few luxuries he took was beyond the door, in the form of a large wooden desk. Made of wood from Terra (and a nightmare to bring), the desk itself was several hundred years old and still in excellent condition. The only modernization to it was the computer screen sitting in the middle. Sitting down at the desk, Davids looked at the stack of file folders waiting for him. He picked up the first file and thumbed through it, noting with satisfaction that it was his Quartermaster's weekly supply report, which had been promised to him by the end of the day.

The hardest part of running a mercenary outfit of over 500 people was making sure that they had food to eat, tools to use, and weapons to wage war with. For this, Davids turned in part to the Lyrans, in part to the planet itself, and in part to a small company stationed on Kantares III that he and others had started a long time ago. The company, referred to as the Kantares Deep Supply (or KDS), specialized in the acquisition and dispursal of the goods needed to keep mercenary units running. Spread across several worlds in three different Inner Sphere areas, the KDS remained the cheapest and easiest means of resupply that Davids had access to. The one item that made DS unique was that the company routinely made weapons and equipment available to those in good standing with it. It was a well-kept secret that KDS had the largest supply of Clan technology in the Inner Sphere – the source of which was a closely guarded secret that only a handful knew about.

He had just started on the next file, involving the latest duty roster, when a buzzer sounded from the computer screen on his desk. Pressing a key on the built-in keyboard, he looked up to see the face of his assistant and second-in-command, Lance Commander Julie "Harbinger" Athros. He had handpicked all his personnel over the time the outfit had been in existence, and Julie was among the most veteran of the group. He had asked her to join up after watching her in an arena match on Solaris, the Gaming Planet. She was not just one of the most veteran pilots either. She was also, it had turned out, one of the most experienced, with ten years of mech piloting under her belt already – as much as him. The rest of their group was fairly evenly rounded out; two dozen mech pilots, a force of almost a hundred assorted infantry and Elemental suit pilots (Elementals, all mechwarriors could agree, were serious pains in the ass sometimes if they were on the opposing side). He also had at his disposal a wing of various aerofighters, a small company of armor, and then the standard cadre of support personnel to round things out.

"Yes, Julie?" He asked aloud, even as he turned to the next report, which was from one of his Lance Commanders, Lance Commander Ri'vel "Hunter" Kent, who was in charge of Shadow Lance, whose name was fairly self-explanatory. Shadow Lance, made up mostly of light and medium mechs, was his "undercover" force that was deployed as both scouts and saboteurs.

"We just received a transmission from ComStar. It's marked For Your Eyes Only. I think you might like to see it." Though both had roughly the same experience, her sandy brown hair and glasses gave the impression that she was really ten years younger than he was. Truthfully, she was only five.

Nodding, Michael flipped to the next page in the report. "I'll take a look at it in a minute," he said, cool black eyes moving swiftly over the report even as his sharp mind made mental notes of things to work on. With nothing further to add, he turned his computer screen off, taking another moment or two to read the report before setting it down and rising from his desk.

The tall Colonel walked briskly out of his room and down another corridor, this time pausing by a door that read "Authorized Personnel Only". Quickly, he entered his six-number code into the keypad on the right of the door, and then paused as the door's scanners quickly checked his vitals against the vitals on file. Satisfied that he was really himself, the doors slid aside to permit him access to the heart and soul of his base, their Command and Control center.

All bases have a C&C center. This room, no bigger than a conference room, was decked out with computer gear and technicians moving around from console to console. Some wrote things down on pads of paper, others worked on programming. Everyone in this base had been the best that money could buy. These people were paid for their expertise, and in the time they had worked with him they had yet to let him down.

Many of them had joined willingly, jumping at a chance to do something that many would have dreamed of—working covert operations for an elite merc group. They kept tabs on all information that was passed in the world and the universe around them. News flashes, data streams, communications, all were monitored here for pertinent information. Nodding to the guard who kept watch over all of it, Davids walked calmly to a console staffed by a man who couldn't have been any older than twenty. His job was to monitor any radio traffic on the world and coordinate with ComStar for interstellar traffic.

Beside him sat a woman hunched over a tactical display. Just as with all commanders, Davids kept his forces on their toes running constant patrols and wargame simulations. Right now, according to the screen, his Beta detail was on patrol. This detail was made up of two lances of medium and heavy mechs whose job it was to deter any forces who might have wanted to pay the base an uninvited visit. They were due to return within the hour, and later that afternoon Delta detail would leave for patrol, giving the two lances of heavy and assault mechs a chance to stretch their proverbial legs.

Harbinger was standing on the other side of the console, waiting for him. She handed him a data disc that contained the recorded message. "The ComStar acolyte who delivered it wouldn't say much except that it had traveled a great distance." Michael nodded, already sure who had sent the message. Taking the disc, he moved to an unoccupied terminal and inserted it. After clearing security, the message appeared on his screen. Reading over it carefully, Michael frowned, then smiled, and turned back to Harbinger when he was done.

"Assemble the command lance in the briefing room. Big things are starting to happen, just as we thought."

Half an hour later the command lance had gathered in the briefing room. This room had been designed solely to brief pilots, be they mech or aerospace or even armor. In front of the chairs and desks for the pilots was a single round table. It was here that the command lance sat for most briefings, able to face the pilots as their assignments were given. In this case, they were facing the front of the room, where the holographics were displayed for the pilots. Michael entered through a side door and strode on to the stage, nodding to everyone.

"Thank you for coming here on such short notice," he began as he stepped to the computer in the corner and inserted a data disc into it. The screen flickered in front of them for a moment before resolving into the image of a planet. "Half an hour ago ComStar delivered a message that was sent to me from Colonel Matthews, who has been busy setting up Recon Satellite Alpha. As you know, our comrades-in-arms have been busy on their new assignment for almost a year now, and they are nearing completion of their task. This communiqué was received from Matthews, but it is several hours old, thanks to the HPG network used to get it to us."

He gave them a minute or two to absorb the message and the display. Finally, after several seconds, a tall red-headed man sitting at the far end of the table looked up at him. "What do you suggest we do? It would take weeks for us to make it to Kantares, and by then the Smoke Jaguar would be long gone. We certainly can't just issue a warning to the Davions that they're about to have visitors on their capitol world – that would only create panic, mistrust, and destroy all that we – I mean you – have been working on for the past several years." Commander Kent, leader of Shadow Lance, let his words speak for everyone else.

Taking his seat with the group, Michael reclined back. He'd had time to think this over, but only he truly knew what this signified. "Precisely. This is why we will do nothing but watch. As you all are aware, the Truce of Tukayyid expired a few months ago. So far, with the exception of this, the other invading clans have yet to make their moves. I think that the Davion defense forces on the planet can handle it, and our intelligence sources on the planet will provide us with a lot of valuable information in the meantime. Furthermore, our latest intelligence provided by Matthews suggests that there is only, at most, a cluster on-planet and that they are being led by Star Colonel Taichi and Star Captain Hikari. "

The sound of those two names brought everyone upright in their seats. Taichi and Hikari were two of the most famous warriors currently fighting for the Smoke Jaguar, primarily because they were extremely skilled in battle. Though the Dark Rangers had never gone into battle against them, Michael had heard from people who had. Stories of mechwarriors who defied odds and had extreme piloting skills and shooting skills had filtered through to him when he asked about those two.

"You mean…" Harbinger began but was cut off by a nod from Davids. "Yes, those two are leading this one. They didn't even declare batchall – this is like a blackop for them, which is extremely unusual for the Clans, especially a traditionalist clan such as the Jaguar. Then again, I've been waiting for the day where the Clans drop their pretenses and come in all guns blazing. The Inner Sphere has bloodied their nose several times and made it difficult for them to win under fair circumstances."

He was referring to the near-elimination of Clan Smoke Jaguar, whose forces had been almost overrun by the combined force of the new Star League. In a swift move, dubbed Operation Bulldog, SLDF forces had overrun many of the planets controlled by the Smoke Jaguar. It had taken the Jaguar eight months before they were organized enough to retaliate, but when they did so it was hard and fierce. Suddenly outnumbered and outgunned, Prince Victor Davion, regent of the Federated Suns, sent the bulk of his forces straight to Strana Mechty, the homeworld of the Smoke Jaguar. For several months the fighting reigned on the planet until the Jaguar drove the Star League assault forces off the planet. Though they had been weakened, the Smoke Jaguar had proven that they were tenacious and capable in battle.

"That still leaves the matter of what to do open for limited discussion," Michael brought everyone back into focus. "We can't deploy our forces into Davion space without a contract, even in an emergency such as this. Sending the word on to the Davions would take too long, and I think that their forces will realize soon enough what is out there. There is another option. If we send a representative to oversee the coming battle, under the pretense of negotiating a garrison contract with the Davions, we will be able to assess the situation better. I can't go – we have contractual obligations coming due and I do not wish to have my former comrades on the planet recognizing me or one of my agents."

The others seemed to contemplate this a bit. "Sounds like a good plan," Harbinger was the first to speak. "Who would you want to send?"

Michael looked around the table at the other three sitting there. He had plenty of options, though he preferred someone from his command lance. There was Harbinger, his tactical genius and one of the veterans on his force. She was also attractive, which often gave him pause. Then there was Kent, who had a good mind and eye for stealth, and was certainly no slouch either when it came to tactics. Finally, there was the fourth person at the table, an older man of about 50 years who still piloted mechs despite his graying hair and slowly-wrinkling face. Commander Shelby "Blackeye" Keith, former member of the Smoke Jaguar clan, had come to work for Michael after he had fallen to Michael's Mad Cat in a one-on-one duel while the mercenary company had been garrisoning a liberated Smoke Jaguar world that the Jade Falcon tried to claim for themselves almost five years ago. The duel had lasted several long minutes as the two giants pounded at each other, looking for weaknesses to exploit. Finally, in a last-ditch effort, Michael's _Mad Cat _had disabled Shelby's Daishi at the cost of half his weapons systems and two weeks in the infirmary.

It had been a worthy victory, though, as the Dark Rangers had both kept control of the planet, gained additional technology and pilots, and earned the respect of the Clan and, more specifically, Keith. He had taken Keith as a bondsman, and it was not long before the older pilot had been given his mech back again and now fought along his new family, even if he was a Clanner. His fighting skills were superb and he had the same tactical mindset as when he'd been a Star Commander with the Jade Falcon. winning the latter's respect in the process as the 70-ton mech had performed superbly against an adversary with twice the weaponry. Keith was much respected among his staff, even though he was a Clanner, and his fighting skills were still very superb even though he was older than most everyone there.

It only took Michael a minute to make his decision. "I think, under the circumstances and given that the Smoke Jaguar are involved, I want Blackeye for this one. He's the most likely to be inconspicuous, and his time with the Clans should give him additional insight."

The older man nodded at his commander. "If that is your wish, sir, I can be ready to leave immediately."

Michael nodded and smiled. "Good, I expected as much from you, my friend. You will still be paid your regular share from our upcoming assignment, and I expect you to keep me informed every day. This isn't a vacation, though – there are some garrisoning contracts that are coming up for bid with the Davions. You have full authority from me to place bids on any contracts that may come up, provided that they are close to Kantares – I want to be in a good position should things start getting difficult. You're welcome to use the company shuttle, as well. I think if you leave today you should just beat the Clanners out."

That brought a smile to the faces of everyone at the table. The shuttle was something Michael had purchased to allow transportation for the command staff when they were garrisoned or needed to travel somewhere without a large force of battlemechs supporting them. It was well-armed and shielded, though speedy—something that most royal houses carried in event of evacuations. "Any final questions?"

The older man shook his head and Michael smiled. "If you could do it without blowing our cover, I would have told you to tell my friends hello. As it is, just check up on them and let me know how they are getting along. Check in with me when you're settled in. Dismissed." The other three pilots stood from their seats, preparing to return to their duties. Blackeye made his way toward the barracks, undoubtedly to pack and prepare for his departure. Hunter gave a nod to his commanding officer and strode for the door. Michael was sure that the younger lance leader would be heading for the simulators to train. Even though he was off-duty, the former Steiner member preferred to keep on his toes. This left Harbinger, who remained standing by her chair as Michael watched the two other pilots leave the room. A part of him wished that he could have gone in place of Blackeye, but even he knew that would have never worked. Things right now were just too big for him to give in to sentimental feelings.

"What's on your mind?" She asked, catching the distant look in his eyes.

"I'm just thinking of how much I miss those other three right now," Michael replied honestly but neutrally. "It's been over a year since I've seen Clonemaster as well, though I know he's slated to return here after our garrisoning contract is finished." He made for the door and she followed.

"I wouldn't worry about it, sir," Julie responded with a smile. The two of them always seemed to share moments like these when they weren't off on assignment. "Besides, you know how Clonemaster acts. It's probably best that he's off setting up that outpost on Kantares – it would be impossible for the two of you to co-exist in the same room for even an hour."

Michael had to admit she had a point. It had been quiet since Clonemaster had gone off with a small group of intelligence personnel and computer techies to begin setting up his covert listening outpost on the Davion homeworld.

"Don't forget," she continued, "We have that company meeting tomorrow to break the news on our new contract. Ueda is probably the best garrisoning assignment we've received yet, and that has to count for something."

"Well, given that the truce expired not long ago, I'm surprised they aren't howling for more merc units with Clan experience to man the lines," he replied as they walked slowly through the tunnel, the sounds of their boots on the tile floors echoing eerily. "Then again, I guess that's to be expected. The Republic never did like mercenaries – only when ComStar set up shop on Tukayyid did they start to thaw out a bit."

She nodded. "I think they're worried. They called us in for a standard contract, offered us top salvage, and gave us three extensions on it if we choose. In fact, negotiations themselves took less time than I would have thought possible."

Ueda was a part of the Free Rasalhague Republic, and as such on the front lines of the Clan Wolf occupation zone. Garrisoned by the FRR's elite 3rd and 4th Drakon and Comstar's venerable 403rd ComGuard Division, the peaceful world had been untouched by the first waves of Wolf attacks. Fifteen years of peace had allowed the population to flourish and thrive, and Ueda was now home to large farms and small cities whose people did not know the trappings of war. Since the end of the truce some months prior, the 3rd and 4th Drakon had been on a state of high alert, preparing for the worst. After several months, the Drakon units, each composing about a third of a regiment, had been forced to stand down for repair and refit before the stress and strain overwhelmed them.

The problem with the current situation was that most mercenary units lacked the experience and size to be garrisoned on a world so close to the treaty line, especially with the expiration of the truce. Some units, such as the Kell Hounds and Wolf's Dragoons, had the proper experience and were large enough to accept contracts protecting the Draconis Combine from Clan advances in that area. Despite their small size, Daniels had managed to wrangle a lucrative contract from the FRR and ComStar to garrison Ueda. Part of the factors that had helped make the contract a reality were the Dark Rangers' willingness to jump into the fray, their favorable "B" rating from the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission, and the fact that they had stood against six clan incursions in the past ten years. Of those six times, five had resulted in victories and the sixth a near-victory that had cost the Jade Falcon dearly.

Moreover, they were not the only military unit en route to Ueda. Well aware of the problem, ComStar had gathered up portions of two more divisions and were sending them, along with an additional mercenary unit, to pick up the Dark Rangers en route to Ueda.

"We were the logical choice for the assignment," Harbinger smiled as they re-entered the C&C room. "Everyone's been eager to get back to action since our last victory at Crimond. These last few garrison assignments have just been too quiet. "

That had been one of the Dark Rangers' more difficult assignments. The mission had started out simply enough; the Rangers were assigned to garrison the single-planet system of Crimond, a planet that lay at the border of Steiner space and the Jade Falcon occupation zone. Unfortunately for the Rangers, the Steiners had failed to provide proper intelligence and reconnaissance and one morning the Rangers awoke to find the Jade Falcon's Rho Galaxy burning into the system and declaring batchall. Michael's skill at handling the batchall had knocked the Falcons down to only one Cluster of mechs with which to attack. The situation had been aided by an overzealous Falcon commander, Star Colonel Mikos Roshak, who had bid only three Trinaries, or forty-five mechs plus their support, of his cluster of green troops into the action.

For three days, the Rangers and the local militia had fought a running battle with Roshak's forces. Relying on the knowledge of their terrain, the Rangers had been patient as they maneuvered the Falcons into position, slowly giving ground until the Falcons' left flank was pinned against the ocean. Then, on the third day, the Rangers' Shadow Lance had powered up from their hidden positions, deep behind the enemy's lines, and began rolling up the right flank of the Falcon lines. As fighting continued on into the night, the local militia broke through the Falcon lines. They and the Shadows swung behind the enemy lines, effectively cutting the Falcons off from their dropships. With no way out, the Clanners had fallen quickly the following morning as the Rangers finished "rolling up" their lines.

The results of the battle had proven costly for Rho Galaxy, who had withdrawn from the system the following morning. The Rangers had been aided by Blackeye, whose intimate knowledge of the batchall system had helped Michael immensely. The conduct of Shadow Lance had also been exemplary. After nearly a year, however, the Rangers were ready to return to the fighting now that they had added to their company a bit. Daniels didn't blame them – he knew with the truce expired he was more than ready to return to the front lines.

"Let's just hope that the Wolves don't have anything planned for Ueda," Harbinger nodded sagely. "The last thing we want is to find out that the Wolves have dropped four Galaxies and a dozen Warships on our ears. That'd be a hell of a mess to fight our way out of."

Michael nodded. "Knowing Khan Ward, though, I wouldn't be surprised if that happens. He's probably frothing at the mouth for a chance to turn his warriors loose on us."

"If that's the case, then I suggest we keep our skills sharp." The other pilot smiled at the hidden meaning.

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Michael smiled at Harbinger's nod. "You think you can beat me today, is that it?"

"Today or any other day of the week, sir. And that's not thought – that's fact." Julie's attitude and grin belied her cocky attitude, but the attitude only ever went as far as her CO. On the battlefield, though, she was another story. In the middle of a firefight, she could be as cold as ice and extremely efficient. It was these traits that had earned her the callsign "Harbinger".

Michael maintained his grin as he turned towards the door, motioning for her to follow. "Just keep dreaming, Captain. I think we'll use the real thing today – it looks like a nice day. Give me an hour to get my mech prepared, and then we'll have a go of it. Same wager as before?"

"Loser buys the winner dinner in town," she acknowledged as they walked down a set of stairs and through a hallway to a hatch. Opening the hatch, they exited into the clear skies of a Blue Diamond afternoon. "I hope you like eating sushi, sir."

"Then you'd better enjoy steaks, Captain. That's what we're having for dinner tonight. You and I both know that I haven't lost to you yet while conscious and feeling well, and I'm not about to break that streak."


	3. Chapter 2: Mechinations

"Core powering up. Systems initialization complete. Sensors online. Weapons online." The cool feminine voice came in clear over Michael's headset as the computer system completed powering up his mech. "Computer subsystems online. Good morning, Vortex."

Michael smiled, his eyes moving quickly over the readouts and displays in the large mech. His hands rested on the two control sticks which were used to pilot the mammoth mech. Reception from the neurohelmet he wore gave him a feel for the mech's balance and stability. Just like a symbiont, the pilot was joined to his mech through this helmet. What the mech experienced on the battlefield, as far as balance and stability, he would feel. It was as if he was a part of the machinery.

It had taken the techs two hours to prepare both his and Harbinger's mechs for departure from their field base for this little skirmish. Once all the work had been completed, the two pilots climbed into their mechs to begin the final startup sequences. Now that those were done, the fun could truly begin.

Looking to his right, he gave a thumbs-up to the technician standing in the portable mobile field base gantry, letting the other know that everything had checked out smoothly. To his left he could see Harbinger's _Awesome_ stand from its shut-down crouched position. "Radio check," he heard over the open communications frequency that the company used.

"You sound five-by-five to me," he replied with the jargon he'd grown up with. "I think the outer training field is deserted today. We'll run this duel there." In reality, the field was not a field per se but a forested area that sat on the edge of the Ranger's base. It was here that many mechwarriors would go to hone their skills in forested combat, where an enemy could be lurking around any turn. His Elemental units in particular enjoyed using the field against his Battlemech corps. The number of ambushes that had been sprung upon him and his men in that field by the Elementals was truly staggering.

"Oh, not that again. Don't tell me you've brought some ground-pounders in to keep us "company"," Harbinger's smile was unmistakable over the radio and Michael managed a grin of his own.

"Wouldn't be sporting. If you're ready, let's move out."

The two behemoths lurched forward, taking slow strides out onto the tarmac and towards one of the roads that led away from the base. Once they were clear of the base, Michael throttled the mech into an easy lope, following the road out past open fields that could have easily been the home to sheep or cattle. It was quiet out in this part of the base. The only movements came from his mech and the soft breeze that blew across the fields. Up ahead was a forested area, and Michael slowed his mech.

"Take the far side. Radio when you're in position and we'll begin."

Giving the affirmative, Harbinger's _Awesome_ continued down the road towards the far edge of the woods. Once she had gone down the road a ways, Michael reached up above his head and flipped a series of switches.

"Sensors set to passive. Emissions levels set to low."

Satisfied that he wasn't going to be detected easily, he completed his preparations. He'd grouped his weapons a certain way, and now went back through the groupings, setting their recharge rates and cycling through readiness checks on all of them. Even though he'd just checked his systems before he departed, Michael knew that it was always better to keep an eye on things. A final look at the HUD showed his weapons were set to training mode.

His headset crackled. "Ready when you are, Vortex."

Smiling, he tapped a button on his control to send a generic affirmative to her. He had no desire to distract or be distracted now with things such as communications. Shifting in his seat, he pressed down on the pedal below his right foot. With a soft hum and a gentle lurch the mech came to life, moving slowly through the forest. He sidestepped around several large trees, keeping his speed low as his eyes roamed the terrain in front of him.

He was very familiar with Harbinger and her preferred style of fighting. She had earned her name through the avenging use of energy weapons and the ability to seemingly bring fire and brimstone to her enemies. Her mech mounted a trio of PPCs that could easily eat through armor and fry delicate circuitry. Added to that was a compliment of lasers and Streak-class short range missiles that were enough to make any enemy seriously reconsider coming in too close to take her down. Most of the time it was the PPCs themselves that did the work, easily flooring smaller mechs and, in some cases, destroying them in one volley.

The pilot herself was also a weapon of sorts. With almost as much experience behind a mech as he, Harbinger had racked up an impressive number of kills in her time as a Dark Ranger. The only two in the company who had racked up more kills were Michael and Blackeye, both of whom had been given plenty of time to loft their counts. She'd preferred the _Awesome_ from the first day she'd had one assigned to her, and since that day had demonstrated that she knew the machine better than most pilots.

He brought his mech right, circling around the forest slowly. His eyes were keen for any signs of her and her battlemech, especially since he knew that she would also be running in passive mode. If sensors were jammed or unable to detect an enemy one had to rely simply on what one could see.

No sooner had the thought formed in his mind than he caught a flash of movement to his left through the trees. Training and experience told him that it was at least half a kilometer away, probably closer to a full kilometer. Applying light pressure to a pedal below him, he brought his mech about to face the source of the movement. At the same time, he eased back on the throttle. The mech slowed in response as he cautiously closed on what he hoped was his adversary.

Zooming in with his targeting cursor, he could clearly make out the distinct profile of an _Awesome_'s head and torso coming over a short rise half a kilometer away. Easing back on the throttle even more – to the point where he was idling – he aimed carefully for the mech's cockpit and then depressed a firing stud on his joystick.

A pair of super-accelerated projectiles, easily half the size of a ground car, accelerated rapidly from the pair of Gauss rifles in his mech's arms. Traveling at speeds well over half the speed of sound, the projectiles reached their target less than half a second later. The impacts were enough to stagger the _Awesome_ as armor plating around the mech's torso splintered and flew off from the kinetic force. Before he had time to react, however, a trio of dark blue energy discharges sped towards his mech.

Circuits in the mech crackled and armor plates melted under the electrical discharges from the _Awesome_'s trio of PPCs. In his cockpit, Michael felt the hair on his arms stand on end and his HUD shimmered momentarily as circuit breakers and fuses blew and reset from the electrical discharge. His eyes darted to the damage screen even as he accelerated.

Fortune had been on his side. One of the rounds had missed completely, passing over his shoulder. A second had glanced off his right arm, and the third had detonated square against his left torso. Angling right to present his undamaged arm to his enemy, he brought up the targeting screen for the pair of Clan-made Long Range Missile (LRM)-15s, that were housed in twin pods above his shoulder. Even with his sensors in standby mode, the presence of a heat and metal source relatively close to him was plenty for the missiles to lock onto. As the warbling tone sounded in his headset, he depressed a second firing stud on his joystick and felt the mech lurch as thirty missiles sped away from him towards his target.

With his rangefinder indicating a range of less than 500 meters to his target now, Michael "twisted" his torso towards the enemy and triggered the last weapon that had yet to be fired – the large laser mounted just below the cockpit of the mech. Waves of heat rolled over him as the ruby beam passed the missiles and impacted the _Awesome_ just below its nose.

Armor melted and splattered as the powerful laser did its work, heat and light combined to form a deadly weapon that sent more rivulets of molten ferrofibrous armor to the ground. The _Mad Cat_'s sensors had been given enough of a window now to analyze the damage to the enemy and a new display appeared on the HUD, showing the amounts of damage that had been done to the _Awesome_. The center of the mech was orange, indicating that moderate amounts of damage had been sustained from his first full volley of weapons fire.

There was no time to relax, even with the damage done. Feet dancing on the pedals to control the mech's movements, Michael zigzagged the mech erratically in an attempt to throw off Julie's aim. A sort of impromptu silence filled the battlefield for a few seemingly long seconds as weapons reloaded and recharged. This, Michael knew, was the downside to having such powerful weapons – the more powerful the weapon, the longer it took to reload.

A soft tone sounded in his headset as a "ka-chunk" sound resonated through the cockpit. This sound was the sound of the auto-loaders for Michael's Gauss rifles, which had completed reloading the massive metallic projectiles into the firing chambers. A half-second later, a similar but quieter sound told him that the LRM launchers had also completed their own reloading cycle. Hands and feet working rapidly, Michael began to heel the mech to his left just as the flashes from Harbinger's PPCs caught his eye.

The first two just missed their target as the _Mad Cat_ exited the space they had been hurtling towards. Unfortunately, the third PPC round did not miss and struck the right arm of the _Mad Cat_, causing the behemoth to stagger drunkenly as the kinetic force of the impact was felt. The crackling of burned circuitry and melted armor filled the cockpit for a moment even as the temperature in the cockpit climbed rapidly and the mech's heat sinks whirred to life to absorb the errant heat that the blast had generated.

Instinct and training took over as Michael activated the targeting sight and, in one fluid motion, centered it on the incoming mech and depressed the firing stud on his joystick. At less than half a kilometer distant, the twin Gauss rifles were almost guaranteed to hit their target, and hit they did. The pair of massive slugs of nickel-iron impacted solidly against the center of mass of the _Awesome_, sending it rocking back on its heels. Before it had even fully recovered, Michael triggered off the rest of his weapons and watched as ruby beams and missiles pocked and melted armor off of his adversary.

Only one major downside presented itself to this course of action: heat. The heat generated from firing the _Mad Cat_'s entire arsenal in one go was enough to send the temperature in the cockpit skyrocketing to over 130 F in a matter of seconds. Caution lights flickered and alarms sounded as the mech's reactor approached critical temperatures. The push of a button in the cockpit was enough to momentarily flush coolant into the reactor, providing a respite from the heat.

A quick glance at the MFDs was enough for Michael to get an idea of how badly he'd damaged his opponent. The sensors on board the mech, though nowhere near as advanced as those found on a scouting mech such as a _Jenner_, were good enough to give a fairly accurate reading of the condition of Harbinger's mech. Her center torso was scored and pocked heavily from the weapons fire he'd inflicted upon it, and the MFD lit this area of her mech in solid red. Another few well-placed hits, or a lucky Gauss shot would start doing internal damage to her mech and likely disable her by breaching the reactor's shields or by destroying gyros or computer gear. On the other hand, he knew that too many more PPC hits on his mech would start causing his own electronics to short out – and could cause the reactor itself to shut down.

This was no time to let down his guard. Times like these were where Harbinger became a force to be reckoned with – it was in these moments where her tactical brilliance and piloting skill combined to form a truly dangerous adversary. Knowing that it would be several seconds before his weapons finished re-loading and re-cycling, Micahel pirouetted his mech on one foot and reversed direction to present his undamaged left side to his opponent. She was already slowing her own mech, undoubtedly waiting for her PPCs to recharge.

The beeping from his computer alerted him to the presence of incoming missiles as the six Streak SRMs shot from the missile pod on the _Awesome_ and directly impacted against his left arm at the shoulder. Half a heartbeat later the ruby beams of her lasers lit up the same spot, melting metal and doing even more damage. Michael cursed to himself, realizing what it was she was doing: She had targeted the joint that connected the arm to the torso at the shoulder. Damaging this joint enough would eventually cause him to lose the ability to use the arm, which would halve his firepower at little cost to her. Although his MFDs were showing only light to moderate damage to the joint, if she got her PPCs online and brought them to bear he'd be in serious trouble.

Quickly he twisted his torso in an effort to reduce her firing angle, making it harder for her to target and fire on the vulnerable joint. His next task was to throw her off and back on the defensive where he could use his firepower to overwhelm her mech. As his lasers recharged he fired them, scoring angry black streaks of melted armor across her mech.

There was no time to congratulate himself as he mentally counted down the seconds since she had last fired her PPCs. Michael knew that the recharge time for PPCs was 14 seconds. As he reached the number fourteen in his mind, he suddenly dropped the mech's shoulder, the entire mech leaning over as the shoulder sagged. He was rewarded as the trio of PPC rounds passed directly above the vulnerable shoulder joint, all three azure beams missing their intended target.

Thanking whatever god or goddess presided over mech battles, Micahel cut his throttle and leveled the mech. He had fourteen seconds until her potent weapons came online again, and was determined to end the fight before then. Weapons indicators flashed green at him as he led her mech with his targeting sights. Then, with a shudder and a wave of palpable heat, his mech spit a lethal combination of energy weapons, ballistic weapons, and missiles directly into the _Awesome_, less than 200 meters away from him. Caught flat-footed by the combined strike, the mech toppled into the ground, its battle computer simulating multiple hits to the mech's reactor shielding and other vital and critical components.

Michael smiled as he navigated his mech around hers. Then, pointing an arm at her, he switched on the com. "Do you yield?"

A laugh came over the headset as her mech started to get to its feet. The battle computer, having done its job, had disabled her weapons and allowed her to power her mech back up. On Michael's mech, the damage indicators had all gone back to green and the weapons now read empty. "Yes, I yield. It looks like another loss for me, eh?"

"You're a formidable fighter, Harbinger. Another second or two and I would've been toast. Times like this I'm glad you fight on our side."

"Oh, someone has to keep you in line, Michael Davids. Might as well be me, since no one else around here can do so." That elicited a fresh laugh from him as he wheeled his mech around and started back towards the hangars.

An aide was waiting for them when they finally unstrapped from their mechs, sweaty and smelly after the long ordeal. Michael offered her a towel, doing his best not to stare at her since she was only wearing a tanktop and shorts, then turned back to wipe most of the sweat off of him. He was looking forward to the shower in his quarters almost as much as he was the steak dinner that Julie was going to be buying him later. Finally, he turned to the aide, who had been waiting patiently for the two of them. "Yes?"

"Sir, the FRR delegation has sent us contract terms for negotiations." Handing over a datapad, the young aide took little notice of their disheveled state as he stepped back respectively.

Michael scanned the pad's surface carefully, and then looked at it again. Whistling sharply, he handed the pad to Julie and watched her reaction, which was about the same as his own.

"Full salvage rights and the opportunity for multiple extensions of the contract, plus the standard trappings?" She handed the pad back to him and his eyes ran over it one more time, looking for anything that he might have missed. "They must be really pressed for mercs, especially with the Treaty set to run out."

"It could prove useful if the Wolves do decide to resume previous hostilities," Michael mused it over for a second, then punched several figures into the pad and handed it back for Julie's review. "I think if they agree to these conditions we should take them up on it."

Nodding her approval after looking over what he'd put in, she handed the pad back to the aide. "I take it we're going to take our entire operational strength along with us?"

"No sense in leaving anyone behind," he took a seat in the rear of the car, motioning for her to do the same. "I think that Clonemaster can handle the rest of the Cantares assignment with his group, and if the Wolves do come calling we'll need every available mech and mechwarrior. Just another grand adventure, eh?"

Julie giggled as the car started up, making the drive back towards the C&C bunker. "You make it sound as if your life isn't already one big adventure. Name the last time you enjoyed some peace and quiet?"

Mustering up every ounce of mock seriousness he could, Michael tried to keep a straight face. "The last time you took a week's leave?" His comment was rewarded with a punch on the arm, just hard enough to make him wince. "Ow! That'll bruise! My skin's far too delicate for you to be bruising randomly!"


	4. Chapter 3: Beginnings

Khan Vlad Ward was in the middle of a nightmare. This was the only explanation for the report that sat on his desk. The young mechwarrior who had given it to him had quickly withdrawn, fearful of the Khan's wrath. It was for the best, since Vlad would have rounded on the boy were he close enough to safely do so. Instead, he simply pounded his fist into the table, content to watch papers and datapads jump as if in terror.

For fifteen years, Clan Wolf and the rest of the Clans had stood by and waited for the terms of the Treaty of Tukayyid to expire. Technically, the invasion (and satisfying defeat) of Victor Davion's so-called "Operation Bulldog" had nullified the terms of their agreement with the upstart Inner Sphere, but Ward had known better than to rush in so swiftly. He'd bided his time and had honed his warriors carefully with small incursions into the territory of other Clans and into parts of the Inner Sphere that the freeborn there did not consider of vital interest. Now that the treaty had formally expired, Clan Wolf's warriors were prepared to make their move in a swift enough manner to bring them Terra and glory before any other clans knew what he was up to.

Unfortunately, that had not been borne out by the data that his own intelligence services, meager though they were, had provided him. The Smoke Jaguar clan, in a bold and daring move, had sent a small strike force straight to Kantares, a Davion outpost that just happened to be the current residence of their new leader, Richard III. At least, that was what he had gathered from a careful reading of the sketchy data available to him.

The problem, he mused, was not so much one of just Smoke Jaguar as it was that of their ally, the Jade Falcon. The Falcon and Wolves had been embroiled in a bitter rivalry for years that had, at times, bordered on open warfare. Yet there were also times, following the Refusal War when Ward had come to power, that the Wolves and the Falcon had worked together. It was unfortunate that such a time had long since passed. The Wolves had, as of late, found themselves bearing the brunt of incursions into their territory by Falcon warriors. And, in the Council, Marthe Pryde had seemed to be distancing herself more from Ward and working closer with Smoke Jaguar Khan Lincoln Osis, whose stance towards the Inner Sphere had seemed to warm, even on the heels of the near-destruction of his own clan.

But Smoke Jaguar was not the only problem that had been troubling Ward as of late. In the past few months, he had started receiving reports from some of his garrison outposts, on the fringes of Wolf territory, that unknown parties had been attacking and harassing them. Some of the attacks were serious incidents – one outpost had been almost completely lost and had had to be reinforced with a Trinary of battle-ready troops that Ward had preferred to save for the Inner Sphere. Some had been minor excursions – hit and fade attacks that looked more like the work of freebirth mercenaries than it did Clan warriors. Still, the unknown assailants had managed to keep their identities hidden so far. Ward suspected that they might have been dezgra units from the old Refusal War, but some of the mechs that had been spotted were fairly new designs. It was possible that they were undercover units that other Clans were sending, in an attempt to stir up trouble and divert frontline forces to contain them. Ward had seriously considered taking a Binary of elite forces and sending them undercover to perform the same task against the likely aggressors – Ghost Bear and the other Warden clans.

The sound of a throat clearing across the table brought Ward from his reverie. He gazed into the deep green eyes of his Loremaster, Katya Kerensky. "My apologies, Loremaster Kerensky. These reports do not speak of the happiest news for our Clan." Taking the datapad as one would take a dead mouse, he held it out before her.

She accepted, looking the information over rapidly, then handed it back to him. "Aff, my Khan. Our own reconnaissance reports are ready, however. We have determined that Ueda is currently garrisoned by a ComStar regiment at half effective strength from fighting off incursions. Their forces have lost many mechs and warriors in the past six months and their equipment is in serious need of repair and refit."

Nodding his head, Ward took a deep breath to calm himself. There was no sense in getting angry on the eve of one of the greatest operations in the history of the Clans and Kerensky himself. "When can we be ready to move, then?"

"With your permission, my Khan, my Galaxy can be ready to move within a standard week. Once we embark, our arrival time at Ueda is two weeks from our departure." She had spent the past month going over Ward's battle plan with Delta Galaxy – her Galaxy – which had won the right to strike the first blow at the Inner Sphere through a Trial of Posession. Kerensky herself had taken part in the trial, besting two other Galaxy commanders for the coveted right. The runner-up in the trial, Galaxy Commander Styles of Theta Galaxy, had fought as tenaciously as she had but his _Loki_ had been too badly damaged during the fighting to successfully best her _Summoner_. As a result, Theta Galaxy had earned the right to strike at the secondary targets while coordinating with her attack.

He gave her another nod, pulling a pad from among those on the desk and placing it in front of her. "These are the battle plans you drew up. Do you have any changes to make to them?"

"Neg, my Khan. If there are any final changes, I will inform you by HPG. You will be moving out with Alpha Galaxy once we have secured the remaining FRR worlds, qui-aff?"

"Aff, Loremaster. With luck, by the time I arrive the remaining Khans will have come to their senses and will have named me ilKhan. All the clans know that Wolf is the strongest – this move should help them wake up and realize that. If you have no further questions, you may return to your command and begin final preparations." Giving her a dismissive nod, Ward turned to look out the window of his office as Kerensky withdrew back to the familiar confines of her Galaxy.

Much of what happened with the Clans went on behind the scenes, which had always suited Ward fine. Though the older Khans would complain of such shadow-play, few realized that Ward had actually played a part in setting up what was supposed to be Smoke Jaguar's downfall at the hands of the Inner Sphere's "Operation Bulldog". He had sent in token support to assist the Jaguar, but the bulk of his forces had been preparing to mount their own offensives against the Inner Sphere. Raids, strikes, and skirmishes had helped give his new warriors a taste of blood. Relying on intelligence that a "special agent" -- the phrase he used to think of his lover in charge of the Lyran Alliance, Katrina Steiner – had provided him, Ward had known exactly where and when the Inner Sphere was going to strike. When they had done so, he had struck out against a dozen garrison worlds in the form of raids.

It was the least he could do to undo what had almost been permanently done to his clan during and after the invasion. Poor bidding against Ghost Bear had weakened the Wolf forces taking the Free Rasalhauge Republic, leaving six worlds of the small territory out of his hands. Though the Capellans and Lyrans had also suffered at the hands of Wolf forces, ComStar's treachery in intervening at Tukkayid had cost the Clans the initiative and made them wait fifteen years. Following this, there had been trouble within the clans as well. Jade Falcon had sought to absorb the Wolves, and for a time had successfully done so. It had only been by his own hands that the remaining Wolf forces had managed to take back their clan name and honor.

In the time that had followed, Ward had rebuilt the Wolf forces stronger than they had ever been. Though, as he'd pointed out, the Wolves had won their own Challenge against ComStar and thus had the right to continue the invasion, he had waited and bided his time. Now that time was up. He had seen one of his rivals bloodied, and the Inner Sphere forces wounded in the process. Soon they would again feel the fangs of the Wolf.

Returning himself to the daily business that marked a Khan's existence, Ward smiled to himself despite the tediousness of the job. His plans were nearly complete, his secret ally poised to strike. The Star League's resurrection, with himself and Clan Wolf at its head, was not far off now.

"Attention honored members of Clan Wolf. We have been chosen by our gallant Khan to bring the glory of the Clans to the wayward freeborn of the "Inner Sphere". This plan was conceived by our noble khan and he has seen it through up to this point. Now, noble warriors, it is our time to fight and show our enemies the ferocity and strength of a wolf pack!"

"Many of you remember the disgrace that our clan suffered at the hands of these scum fifteen years ago. Many of you remember the Trial that our clan went through -- the Trial that our leader faced -- against the Jade Falcons and their ways. We have lost many brave warriors in our struggle to reach this day, but at long last it has come. We must not forget those "Wardens" who have defected to the side of our enemies – Nova Cat and Ghost Bear – and have thus abandoned the way of our noble founder, Kerensky!"

"Today, Wolves, we return to avenge ourselves and bring the upstart Star League under our rule. Today, at long last, we shall have our revenge on the Inner Sphere. Let us go forth, heritage and history at the forefront of our minds, and commence Operation Houndstrike."

The words of Katya Kerensky, one of those who had been honored with the bloodname of the founder of the Clans, echoed across every Dropship and Warship in the fleet of fifteen. Over a million military personnel heard her words, cheering them and cheering the opportunity to at last resume the conquest they had been so bitterly denied in the past. At a prearranged signal, the Kearny/Fujita drives on the two armadas, numbering a total of fifteen ships, ignited and sent the fleets propelling towards their destinations.

On the bridge of the Black Lion-class battle cruisers _Stealthy Kill_, Kerensky watched the stars change around them as the ship lurched and the strange sensations of the jump drives pulled at her disorientingly. Unlike those who had cheered her on the bridge, Kerensky felt listless, as if something was not right. Many in the Wolves dismissed the so-called "warrior instinct", but Kerensky had learned over time that the instinct was more often right than wrong.

The problem, she decided after a moment, was the FRR worlds that lay before them for the conquest. Although the FRR worlds were weak, they were guarded by elite ComStar forces. Intelligence had given her unit strengths and data for the forces she was to face on Ueda and she had committed those numbers to memory. Yet the intelligence arm of the Wolf clan had proven sketchy at times, and Kerensky could remember more than one occasion that she had found the intelligence data wrong… for the worse.

It was not as if she did not want to believe her intelligence data. According to reports, ComStar had only one regiment currently on Ueda, the 119th. They were reported to be at half-strength after a series of raids that had been launched by Wolf forces on the other side of the border, and both men and machines were already seriously worn down from the fighting. It may have seemed like overkill to send in an entire Galaxy to deal with a half-strength regiment, but if her intelligence was wrong she preferred to err on the side of caution. It was for this reason that she had brought her own backup along, in the form of the 103rd Striker Cluster of Gamma Galaxy, commanded by Star Colonel Cathleen Jorgensson.

Sighing, the Loremaster rubbed her temples and looked down at the computer console in front of her. There was still much to be done before they arrived in orbit over Ueda, even though it was at least two weeks away. Readiness reports had to be finished, tactical plans updated, and commanders briefed on their respective roles. While most of it could be delegated to her subordinates, Katya knew from experience that it was better to take an active hand in the paperwork. Sometimes detailed knowledge of one's forces was the one thing necessary to turn the tide of a battle.

Fear can drive a man to perform great accomplishments. In the fifteen years since the Treaty of Tukkayid, ComStar had been developing and testing new technologies for use if and when the Clans resumed their invasion. In cooperation with several of the Inner Sphere houses, they had developed a new type of forward reconnaissance vessel. The _Encrypted Transmission _was one such vessel.

Built around a portable HPG generator with a transmission range of 100 light-years, the _Encrypted Transmission _and her sister stealth vessels were also equipped with listening devices and sensor platforms. Lurking near the Wolf marshalling point, her sensitive equipment had detected the movements and every word of the transmission that had been sent to the Wolf Forces. The crew of five had friends and relatives in the FRR. Some were pilots of mechs. Some were technicians. The fear of the Clan invasion kept them all on edge.

Though ComStar had been weakened by the flatering Word of Blake movement, it could not simply sit by and watch as the Inner Sphere was destroyed by the Clans. ComStar had been created to guide and protect the Inner Sphere, and it would do them no good to sit back and watch as everything they had built came crashing down. It was for that reason that ComStar had challenged the Clans at Tukkayid. It was for that reason that the crew of the _Encrypted Transmission _now turned their ship and it's portable HPG generator in the direction of the nearest ComStar facility.

The Wolves were not as stealthy as they had hoped, however. Hiding in deep space, eyes focused on the Wolf planets, the crew of the ComStar forward recon vessel _Encrypted Transmission_ had caught sight of the Wolf forces departing. Their communications gear had picked up the message sent by Commander Kerensky to all her forces. The crew of five had friends and relatives in the FRR; some of them were mech pilots garrisoned on those planets and tasked to defend them to the death. ComStar, though weakened by the faltering Word of Blake movement, could not stand idly by and watch the Inner Sphere be destroyed by the Clans. Making sure that the Clan ships were out of range, they deployed a portable HPG unit, pointed it at the ComStar capital world of Terra, and sent off their message…

At the Dark Ranger base deep within Davion space, preparations were nearing completion. An FRR jumpship was slated to arrive in-system within three days to "pick up" the Rangers' two dropships. They would not travel alone however; the FRR and Comstar together were sending two additional regiments and a second merc group was rumored to be helping out as well. Michael and his crews were entering final preparations as gear and equipment were loaded on board the two dropships on the surface of the moon. Sitting in the command couch of his Mad Cat Mk. II, Vortex led the command lance into the dropship's mammoth mech bay. The command lance was the first on and the first off, or so the tradition went, and this time would be no different. Right behind him was the seemingly ungainly _Awesome_ piloted by Harbinger. In stark contrast to the two giants, the low Bushwhacker seemed out of place as third in the line, piloted by Hunter. Rounding the lance out was the Mk. II's older and smaller brother, an original Mad Cat, piloted by Blackeye's replacement, Commander Jessica "Angel" Young, the XO of his regiment.

Bringing the mech to a halt within the dropship's massive cargo bay, Michael expertly shut its systems down as a gantry crew approached to lock the mech in place. The significant forces acting on the dropship and its occupants as they proceeded through space would be enough to toss anything that was unsecured around the bay like a child's temper tantrum. Opening the canopy of his mech, the leader of the Dark Rangers nimbly exited his mech and hurried to the command center of the dropship.

Things were abuzz in the command center. The crew of the dropship was busy preparing for launch while the staff of the mercenaries completed final arrangements for the transportation of mechs and materiel. Halfway across the circular room, Michael could see his XO talking animatedly with the ship's communications officer. As Harbinger noticed him, she waved him over quickly in a manner that suggested to him that there was business to attend too.

Rounding the corner and dodging a pair of techs who were immersed in their checklists, Michael approached behind the chair of the communications officer. Holding her hand up, Harbinger handed him a paper printout on a clipboard. "This is the latest update on materiel and personnel. We should be ready to lift off in twelve hours. That's the good news."

"What's the bad news?" Michael asked as he looked over the flimsy quickly before handing it back, almost not wanting to hear any bad news at this juncture but knowing that such was inevitable.

"ComStar sent us an update; their jumpship is going to be quite crowded. They're running at full capacity as it is and the ship's captain assured me that he can fit our two jumpships in but it's going to be tight as it stands. The ComStar rep informed me that they will be in-system within 60 hours."

"We knew this when we took the contract, Julie," Michael reminded her but frowning all the same. "ComStar is worried about the state of affairs on Ueda, what with their proximity to the Clan occupation zones. We know that with the failure of Bulldog, the Clans are chomping at the bit to take another bite out of the Inner Sphere. Can't exactly fault ComStar for wanting to reinforce their troops as much as they can, even with the infighting among the Inner Sphere. I guess that, in this case, we'll just have to suffer for a few weeks in cramped quarters. Before you know it, we'll be there and things'll be different."

"I sure hope you're right," Julie remarked with a slightly sarcastic grin. "Three weeks with me in close quarters might drive you slightly insane."

"Been there, done that, got the shirt," Michael grinned and patted her on the shoulder. "Keep me updated. As soon as we have everyone aboard, I want to pull out. We've got a long trek ahead of us."


End file.
